Updated 11:21 pm, Monday, April 15, 2013

The woman from Willis was in the Montgomery County Jail on charges of running an immigration scam when she allegedly tried to hire a hit man to kill the Montgomery County prosecutor handling her case and injure District Attorney Brett Ligon.

Canfield, who has a criminal history dating to the 1980s, made it clear to an undercover officer earlier this month that she wanted prosecutor Rob Freyer killed, Ligon said Monday. She allegedly wanted the district attorney injured so it would appear the attacks could be connected to the recent shooting deaths of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, as well as Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse.

McLelland and Hasse participated in the prosecution of a former justice of the peace who is expected to be charged in the couple's deaths Easter weekend in North Texas.

Ligon said the prosecutors' killings have made law enforcement statewide even more vigilant and cases involving threats against law enforcement officials will be vigorously prosecuted.

Photo: MC

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Dorothy Canfield

Dorothy Canfield

Photo: MC

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Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon addresses the alleged threat against him from the Montgomery County Jail and Law Enforcement Center.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon addresses the alleged threat against him from the Montgomery County Jail and Law Enforcement Center.

Photo: Johnny Hanson

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Major Freeman Martin, with the Texas Rangers Company A, speaks to the media at the Montgomery County Jail and Law Enforcement Center.

Major Freeman Martin, with the Texas Rangers Company A, speaks to the media at the Montgomery County Jail and Law Enforcement Center.

Photo: Johnny Hanson

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Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon addresses the alleged threat against him from the Montgomery County Jail and Law Enforcement Center.

Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon addresses the alleged threat against him from the Montgomery County Jail and Law Enforcement Center.

Montgomery District Attorney Brett Ligon said, "This is not a hunting season for public servants."

Montgomery District Attorney Brett Ligon said, "This is not a hunting season for public servants."

Photo: Johnny Hanson, Staff

Jailed woman accused of ordering hit on prosecutors

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"We will not stand in fear in the face of chaos and disorder," Ligon said. "This is not hunting season for public servants … These threats are a distraction. We are tired of getting threatened for doing our jobs."

Canfield was charged Monday with solicitation of capital murder and solicitation to commit aggravated assault on a public servant.

Jailhouse request

Ligon said an informant told authorities about Canfield's jailhouse request for a hit man. An undercover officer met Canfield during a visit at the jail April 1, and she allegedly agreed to pay him $7,500 for the attacks.

"Don't judge me by my age or my appearance," she said in the conversation with the man whom she thought she was hiring to kill or maim the prosecutors. She asked him to do it "tomorrow" and to "make it look pretty," leaving no evidence behind.

The undercover officer told her "all hell could break loose" after the attacks.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said.

Canfield allegedly told the undercover officer she wanted Ligon in the hospital for "two to three weeks."

When the Texas Rangers interviewed her about the plot Monday morning, she confessed, officials said. The investigators had shown her pictures from an unrelated crime scene and pretended that Freyer had actually been killed. Canfield showed no remorse when she saw the photographs, officials said.

Cold, unemotional

Texas Ranger Wende Wakeman, who interviewed Canfield, said the woman was cold and not remorseful. Wakeman had also arrested her for the previous immigration scam charge.

"She acted like she had no emotions," Wakeman said. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Ligon said Canfield was in jail awaiting trial because she allegedly posed as an immigration attorney and took about $51,970 from people seeking her help with their legal issues. However, Ligon said, Canfield is not an attorney and she did not help her supposed clients.

She was charged with theft of between $20,000 and $100,000, court records show.